Health workers in several African countries are battling to contain outbreaks of cholera that have already killed hundreds of people. The most recent cholera outbreak has occurred in Somalia where more than 100 people have died of the disease. Flooding in the centre of the country has contaminated drinking water and hundreds of people have been hospitalised with suspected cases of the intestinal disease. Cholera causes diarrhoea and in developing countries, where sanitation is poor, it can quickly lead to death from dehydration. The disease can also spread quickly. This is the fear of health workers in Somalia and in the Republic of Congo, where cholera has spread to the capital Brazzaville. Zimbabwe is also in the grip of a cholera epidemic following the breakdown of the country's water and sewage systems.